Ingredients
- •8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- •½ cup soy sauce
- •⅓ cup white cane vinegar (or white vinegar)
- •8 cloves garlic, smashed
- •3 bay leaves
- •1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- •1 tsp kosher salt
- •2 tbsp neutral oil for crisping
- •Steamed jasmine rice for serving
- •Sliced scallions for garnish
Instructions
Combine soy sauce, vinegar, smashed garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt in a bowl.
Place chicken thighs in vacuum-seal bags in a single layer.
Pour the adobo mixture over the chicken, dividing between bags.
Seal using vacuum sealer or water displacement method.
Preheat sous vide bath to 168°F (76°C).
Submerge bags and cook for 8 h for silky confit texture.
When the cook is done, remove chicken from bags. Reserve all the braising liquid.
Pat chicken skin completely dry with paper towels.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear chicken skin-side down for 3–4 min until deeply browned and crispy.
Flip and sear the other side for 1–2 min. Transfer to a serving platter.
Pour the reserved braising liquid through a strainer into the same skillet.
Bring to a rapid boil and reduce by half until thick and syrupy, about 5–6 min.
Pour the reduced sauce over the crisped chicken.
Serve immediately over steamed jasmine rice with sliced scallions.
Notes
- •Never stir the vinegar while it heats — it can turn bitter. Let it reduce undisturbed.
- •White cane vinegar (sukang maasim) is the traditional choice; white distilled works too
- •The sauce should be salty, sour, and garlicky in equal measure — adjust after reducing
- •Adobo tastes even better the next day; reheat in the reduced sauce to refresh